How I Got To Washington DC On My Way to Fort Lee, VA

Don’t get me wrong – overall it was an amazing trip – and financially I actually did really well. However it was a little crazy but I had made up my mind to go with the flow no matter what happened.

I checked in 24 hours in advance and was feeling very confident about the trip ahead. The night prior to my 7 am flight I had a special girls/spa night with my two granddaughters. By the time we had food and I got back to my place it was 10 pm. Not bad, however I still had about 30 minutes of photography business to take care of and needed to finish packing. By 11:30 I was pretty much ready to go when I got this text message – YOUR FLIGHT HAS BEEN CANCELLED – go to southwest.com/book2 to rebook your flight.

After a few deep breaths, and failed attempts to change it online, I called Southwest and got my flight changed – from 7 am to 6 am – time for some fast sleep! Next incident – I fell into a deep sleep without much trouble and just happened to wake up and check my phone. YIKES  –  it was 4:37 AM – still not sure if the alarm on my phone was on silent or if I just slept through it. Either way – I had to move fast!

When you’re in a hurry – things just don’t seem to happen the way you’d like. By the time I got to my turn at security I breathed a sigh of relief – 15 minutes to departure and my gate was in sight! Breathed too soon – baggage check! For the first time ever in all of my travels – they removed every piece of camera equipment, s-l-o-w-l-y  wiped it down and then sent my bag back through. By the time they gave me the okay to pack up and move on I heard my name being called over the intercom. Evidently 10 minutes prior to flight time they can close the doors if you are not there to board. I ran the short distance with my VERY HEAVY camera bag plus the an extra bag (Finding a better way to travel with camera equipment will be reserved for another blog!).

On to my connecting flight in Orlando. Just enough lay over to get some breakfast, and catch up on a little computer work. Announcement comes over the intercom – flight is overbooked – if your travel plans are flexible you can get a voucher for a future flight. Music to my ears for my future budget travel plans. After a brief conversation with Carlos at the counter I learn there is not another flight to Richmond today, but he could get me to Norfolk. If I am willing to do this he can give me a round trip ticket anywhere AirTran or Southwest flies in the next year. Norfolk is not that much further from Fort Lee – sounds like a good deal for me! Plus, I feel so good when the father who had forgotten to check in for the flight  thanks me as he stands holding his little girls hand wandering if they are going to make this flight. I can hang out at the airport much easier than they would be able to.

Everything seems fine and then it hits me – MY SUITCASE! Yes, it is on the way to Richmond. Several phone calls later its all set. My son Cody will pick up my suitcase in Richmond and meet me in Norfolk (What an awesome guy!) As I lug my heavy camera equipment through the airport to the next gate I once again realize I’ve got to make some major changes to this heavy load before my next trip!

It’s not too far to my gate and since that flight is delayed (of course, but only 1 hour) I have time to stop for a glass of merlot and some chicken nachos with that orange goo they call cheese (so much for the healthy eating I’ve been trying to do). It’s not really that bad – I’ve got plenty of work to do and a good book (thank you Jackie Bundren!). Plus, people watching is always fun. I’ve actually seen more adults than kids going home from Disney wearing Harry Potter hats and mouse ears. Something about that just makes me happy.

Just as I begin to relax and think this isn’t going to be that bad my phone rings – yes it is a message from Southwest. Flight from Baltimore to Norfolk delayed from 8:20 to 9:30 pm. Of course it is! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming . . Oh, and one more glass of Merlot – it’s all good!

The full flight from Orlando to Baltimore (which I now learned was by way of Providence, RI) was packed with babies and children. Very tired babies and children going home from vacation. My choices were to sit between 2 very large men or in a row with a family and their 8 month old baby – I chose the baby! It was the first time I had heard the flight attendant point out which bathroom has a changing table, that she has no milk or bottled water, but does have canned water and also mommy/daddy juice is available. I was lucky, they were a lovely couple with a sweet baby who slept most of the flight.

When we landed in Providence, waiting for new passengers to board and carry on to Baltimore,  I once more received a call from Southwest – flight now delayed to 10:10 pm. A quick call to Cody changed our plans. He would drive from Richmond (where he had successfully retrieved my luggage), pick me up in Baltimore, and we would drive to Washington DC. We had thought about making the trip over the weekend anyway. What a great idea!

We spent the night in a comfy hotel downtown last night and are ready to head out to see the sights. Looking forward to a wonderful day! Now where to go with that free voucher??? Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas???

TIPS FOR AGREEING TO CHANGE FLIGHTS

If your flight plans are flexible this can be a great deal.

1 – Be sure you know in advance what you will be given in return.

2 -Double check the flights you will be changing to and if you have access to a computer maybe check on other options yourself as well as flight delays.

3 – Bring up any questions about checked luggage right away – I was just lucky Cody could get my luggage

4 – Relax and enjoy the extra waiting time realizing you are going to have another trip to plan for free!